Shakespeare,
William (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of
the world as the greatest of all dramatists. Shakespeare's plays communicate
a profound knowledge of the wellsprings of human behavior, revealed through
portrayals of a wide variety of characters.

His use of poetic
and dramatic means to create a unified aesthetic effect out of a multiplicity
of vocal expressions and actions is recognized as a singular achievement, and
his use of poetry within his plays to express the deepest levels of human motivation
in individual, social, and universal situations is considered one of the greatest
accomplishments in literary history.